Scotland coach Scott Johnson looks ahead to 2015 World Cup

Scott Johnson says he has picked a training squad for the autumn internationals with the 2015 Rugby World Cup in mind.

The interim Scotland head coach has named five uncapped players in his 41-man squad for the games against Japan, South Africa and Australia next month.

"We want to continue building a depth to the squad," he told BBC Scotland at Murrayfield.

"I have a duty of care to do that 24 months out from the World Cup."

Mark Bennett, Jonny Gray and Chris Fusaro have been rewarded for Glasgow Warriors' impressive start to the season with a call-up for next week's training sessions in Glasgow ahead of the three Tests.

And London Irish back-row pair Kieran Low, 22, and Blair Cowan, 27, are also called up as they, too, hope to win their first caps.

"I've been impressed with what I've seen from Mark Bennett and Jonny Gray," added Johnson.

"They've been consistent, which is often a challenge for younger players, and they've shown the resolve to get better."

Scotland play Japan on 9 November, then welcome South Africa on 17 November and Australia six days later.

Bennett, Gray and Fusaro are just three of 18 Warriors to make the squad, which also features 10 players from Edinburgh and 13 players from England, France and Wales.

Johnson, who has surprisingly left out the Glasgow flanker Tyrone Holmes after his man-of-the-match performance in the Heineken Cup last Sunday, said he has had no contact from fly-half Tommaso Allan despite calling him on Monday morning.

Allan has represented Scotland at age-grade level but is in the Italy training squad for their November Tests.

Scotland training squad for autumn Tests:

Backs: Mark Bennett (Glasgow Warriors), Chris Cusiter (Glasgow Warriors), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh), Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Max Evans (Castres), Tom Heathcote (Bath), Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors), Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh), Sean Maitland (Glasgow Warriors), Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors), Matt Scott (Edinburgh), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens), Greig Tonks (Edinburgh), Tim Visser (Edinburgh), Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors)

Forwards: John Barclay (Scarlets), John Beattie (Montpellier), Kelly Brown (Saracens), Blair Cowan (London Irish), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh), David Denton (Edinburgh), Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Chris Fusaro (Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Ryan Grant (Glasgow Warriors), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Castres), Jim Hamilton (Montpellier), Rob Harley (Glasgow Warriors), Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors), Scott Lawson (Newcastle Falcons), Kieran Low (London Irish), Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors), Pat MacArthur (Glasgow Warriors), Euan Murray (Worcester Warriors), Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan), Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors), Jon Welsh (Glasgow Warriors)